In a funk...maybe it's time to marinate?

I’m in a funk. I feel out of sorts -- disconnected from myself and definitely not creative. I haven’t felt like posting to my blog and I’ve had plenty to post about like Emily peeing a huge puddle in the middle of Wal-Mart and Mia taking a dive out of her crib. I’ve even done a few Tackle-It-Tuesday projects, but couldn’t be bothered with getting the camera out to record the before and after of my master closet organization. I just haven’t been interested in sitting down to write a post. *gasp* I haven’t been keeping up with my favorite blogs. *more gasping* I have scrapped a few digital pages of our 2003 trip to China for Emily, but I don’t like anything I created in the past few days, so I dump it in my “needs work” folder. *ugh*

I’m quite sure that this funk is the result of a bit of anxiety about the surgery that I have scheduled a week from Friday. It’s nothing major. They aren’t going to be dealing with any major organs, but a man (he’s a doctor, of course) is going to cut my foot open to remove the mystery lump that is causing the top of my foot to be numb and hurt at the same time. While he’s in there he is also going to fix the bunion that I’ve talked about getting corrected for a long time. I’ve been pretty blasé about having this surgery, but I do think that it is weighing on my mind and it is definitely affecting my sleep. I am very independent and I am going to have to rely on my parents and husband to take care of me and my two girls for several weeks. That’s a hard thing for me to do.

Therefore, I am in a funk. I’ve been grumpy, lethargic, detached, and disorganized. And, did I mention grumpy? I haven't been the best wife, mother or friend recently.

Then, Sandy Grason’s newsletter popped up in my inbox this afternoon. Here is the feature article that appeared in her newsletter…

"Marinate In The Juicy-ness of Your Life"
by Sandy Grason, Author, Speaker & Founder of JOURNALUTION

I recently went through an episode of discontent with my life, my job and everything that I’ve created over the last 5 years with Journalution. It was set off by a funny chain of events that occurred this summer while my two little girls were visiting my mom for a week. I had planned to be working on many different projects that needed to be completed while my kids were away, however, I found myself at home, alone all day, and questioning everything I was working on. Nothing felt inspiring. The projects that seemed so urgent the week before, felt boring and flat and depressing.

I called my dear friend and mentor, Rick Wright and told him my dilemma. My depressing tirade ended with- “I’ve got this whole week to myself, I need to do a lot of meditating and journaling and figure out what my next step is.” His response surprised me. “No, don’t do any of that. Go shopping. Go float in the pool. Do nothing.” Wow, that was the easiest homework he has given me in 15 years!

So, that is exactly what I did for one full week. Nothing! More accurately, I did exactly what I felt like doing at any moment. Another friend, who is a filmmaker in California, called me one day and asked what I was working on next and I told him “Absolutely nothing. I’m marinating.” He thought this was a pretty funny way to describe the familiar lapses in inspiration that most human beings go through periodically. We laughed about the “Sandy- licious Marinade” that I was cooking up and how we would bottle and sell it after it was all over.

The word “marinate” seemed to describe exactly what I was feeling. I knew something juicy was coming, but I didn’t know what it was. I felt discontent, anxious and a little unsettled. {Have you ever felt this way? I’d love to hear about how you handled your marinating time. Sandy@Sandy Grason.com} I wallowed in these feelings for a few days and didn’t try to ‘fix’ it. (this was the most difficult part for me).

I did a lot of listening to my self-talk and I did a lot of noticing. I noticed what people were talking about around me. I noticed what showed up in the magazines I was reading and what was on TV that day. I did a few things for my work, but only what felt fun to me in the moment. I noticed what projects were ‘calling’ to me. I picked up my guitar and wrote songs. I played a lot with my friends. It was so refreshing to just Be Myself and Have Fun. And then it happened ~ One morning I woke up with that familiar feeling of inspiration. A new idea. An idea that pulled me out of bed in order to write it all down. I am so excited about this new project that we’ll be rolling out in the next few months. It will be my next book, a new website design and lots of fun products and interviews connected to it all.

So today, I encourage you to take time to marinate in the juicy-ness of your life. Make a date with yourself to just Be with Your Self and Have Fun. Give yourself a little time to relax and refresh. Whether you are an artist or an accountant, give yourself some time for marinating.
Use this month’s journaling prompt as marinade for your inspirations.
© 2006 Sandy Grason

After reading this article twice, I thought to myself…it’s okay that you’re in a funk and if you don’t feel like reading, writing or creating it’s okay. I’m going to spend the next week focusing on quality time with my girls, my husband and my friends. If the house isn’t perfectly clean before surgery, someone will either clean it or they will live with it! If I don’t post again until I come out of my pain medication stupor, so be it! If I don’t read your blog and make a comment, it’s not because I don’t care about you. I had big plans to write and read and make tons of scrapbook pages with my foot up in the air. But, now I’m not so charged up about that. I’m going to marinate for a bit, focus on my recovery and if I feel inspired (which I’m sure I will again), I will do something.

Isn’t it glorious when you’ve been asking God for some guidance and something simple crosses your path with just what you’ve been asking for? I’m going to listen and take some time for myself because I don't like being in a funk.

Because I used Sandy’s article in my post, she has asked that I include the following, which I am certainly happy to do...She’s pretty cool!

Sandy Grason is the author of the bestselling book, JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams. Sandy defines the word Journalution as the act of revealing your inner wisdom through writing. Get 30+ FREE journaling prompts now at SandyGrason.com